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If you have seen any of our social media pages at all since the start of August, you probably noticed that we had a whiskey tasting event. But, if you haven't seen any of our social media pages, 1, go follow all of them now, and 2, you might not have known that we had a tasting event on August 24th. Let me tell you now, it was a great time. There were drinks, food, people, and smiles everywhere you looked.

In a little over a week, we are putting on a whisky tasting event with the Baltimore Bourbon club to feature one of Baltimore’s newest treasures, Sagamore Rye Whiskey. The event is being hosted at Alma Cocina Latina, a Venezuelan-inspired restaurant in Canton, Baltimore.

Full Society is proud to report that this year was our first time participating in the 2nd Annual Baltimore Cocktail Week! Everything from the launch event, to the closing brunch, was a wonderful success. For those of you who may not know, Baltimore Cocktail Week (BCW) was founded by Ginny Lawhorn as an effort to bring the Baltimore Hospitality Industry together to help cultivate and promote, “the enhancement of the hospitality industry in Baltimore City and surrounding areas through innovative cocktail programs, comprehensive educational forums and consumer enrichment events.” BCW also works closely with Non-Profits in the Baltimore area, ensuring that their events equally promote sustainability for our city. Full Society is very proud to announce their success and our involvement!

In the restaurant industry we have come to meet some amazing people; fantastic chefs, inspiring bartenders... People who all have the same goal to make delicious food and drink while providing impeccable service and an atmosphere of fun and enjoyment for others. With Valentines day just around the corner we wanted to bring some of these awesome restaurant industry couples into the light. It’s a beautiful thing when people can share their passion with the ones they love.

Vote for your favorite restaurant industry couple! Full Society will announce the winner on Valentines Day and reward them with a gift card to one of our best restaurants.

Voting will end on Saturday night at the stroke of midnight, Cinderella style.

Coveted as a “neighborhood gem”, Grand Cru is notorious for its extensive alcohol selection with numerous varieties of beer, wine, and cocktails to choose from. Providing an answer to even the most particular of palettes, Grand Cru really is, a grand bar. However, that is only a small variable of Grand Cru’s equation to creating one of the greatest food and beverage establishments in the Baltimore area. Their passion for creativity, dedication to service, and commitment to quality is what truly sets them apart from the rest – revolutionizing my idea of what it takes to be the best.

In lieu of the Holidays, we took a brief hiatus from our Bartender and Chef of the week selections to indulge in the celebrations that the season brings with it – eating, drinking, and enjoying time with our families. We know you've missed us but have no fear, we are back and ready to kick off 2016 in the sweetest way. With our first Chef of the Week selection of the New Year we’d like to introduce you to Monica Kollig! Chef Kollig caught our full attention through her unparalleled ability to conclude every meal with an irresistibly satiable sweet-treat. Sweeping us up right by the sweet tooth, Full Society is proud to name Chef Monica as our first feature of the year! Beginning her culinary journey at the age of 15, Chef Monica fell in love at her first “real” pastry job making pastries like key lime pie and cheesecake for the student’s mealtime at Goucher College. Kollig loved spending as much time there as possible, unfazed that as a junior in high school she was missing out on typical high school activities – she was getting paid to do what she loved, “what more could you ask for”? In fact, she loved it so much that Chef Monica recalls thinking at that time, “maybe I should do this for the rest of my life”. Well Chef, we fully appreciate that you did!

Fleeting Last Call with Justin CarrLast week, as I was venturing through the city exploring all the different types of cuisine and libations Baltimore has to offer I came across Fleet Street Kitchen. Falling victim to the allure of all the food and drinks I had encountered through my long work day, I decided to stop in for a little bit of business and a bite to eat. Upon entering Fleet Street Kitchen, I was greeted by Justin Carr, Fleet Street’s lead bartender. We got to talking, and despite it being only 30 minutes away from close, Justin was amazing enough to engage in a cocktail session with me that highlighted some of the incredible drinks Justin had developed for Fleet Street Kitchen’s menu. Justin has been the working as the lead bartender at Fleet Street Kitchen since February this year, but that’s nothing new for him. He has been a lead bartender for the Bagby Restaurant Group, which includes restaurants such as Bagby Pizza Co, TEN TEN American Bistro, Fleet Street Kitchen, and Cunningham’s for over 2 years. As a member of Baltimore’s Bartenders guild Justin takes his craft seriously pouring energy and passion into each concoction, clearly demonstrated in his presentation and in depth knowledge he shared with us about our drinks.

As Full Society spreads throughout the restaurant industry, we have had the pleasure of spending quite a bit of time with the creators of several fantastic food experiences and bar programs. We’ve been blown away by the creativity of the restaurant culture in Baltimore and we wanted to share! We want to introduce you to the brains behind the menus and give you some incite behind their craft. We will be featuring a chef and bartender of the week for 10 weeks. We would love to hear feedback on your favorites. So, please! Keep the comments coming!

Paige Cantlin, founder/CEO of Full Society has never turned away from a challenge. Working her way through college as a server and bartender, Paige ultimately graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Continuing with her studies, she went on to earn her series 7, 63, and 65 brokerage licenses as well as her Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. This all led Paige to her 6-year adventure through the world of finance, working as an analyst, director of investment operations, and most recently worked with The Private Client Group at Brown Advisory. In 2014, while working at Brown Advisory, Paige began studying for her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at The Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School, pursuing a double concentration in Finance and Real Estate. In September of 2014, amidst school and work, Paige decided to embark on a new journey - Full Society. As founder/CEO of the newly chartered Full Society, Paige quickly adopted the startup lifestyle; subsequently, leaving her job at Brown Advisory to focus full-time on Full Society. In addition to these already impressive accomplishments, Paige is also the director of finance for the Shine Foundation, an active CASA volunteer, and an avid international marathon runner.

It's crunch time! Only weeks before we launch in restaurants in Baltimore this September. Want to know what the past few weeks have been like? No, you really don't. They have involved long nights, early mornings, holes in our shoes, holes in our pants, holes in our brains probably, as well. But, cheers to the good news! Development is 100% on track! Our Private Beta Restaurants are on schedule to be on-boarded! We have more restaurants on our platform than we can even support at this time. Our Private Beta users list is growing faster every day (which is concerning, in a good way, since we can only have 1000 of you..

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